It is named for two longtime faculty members who were KU alumni: William H. Carruth (1859-1924), who earned KU degrees in 1880 and 1883 and was a professor of modern languages, a poet and suffragist, and administrator; and Raphael Dorman O’Leary (1866-1936), an 1893 alumnus and English professor and chair.

The first Carruth Hall was the original chancellor’s residence at 14th and Louisiana streets; it was refurbished in 1939 as a scholarship hall for men, later used by women. It was demolished in 1953, and Douthart Scholarship Hall was built on the site.